I’m keeping Passover also. Actually not too bad so far, but then again I haven’t eaten at my house just yet. The first two nights I went to Seders. One night with my family and the next at Hillel. Both were enjoyable. Last night, I went out to a kosher restaurant. It was pretty packed, but good. I actually ate at this restaurant two years ago when I came with Chabad. And today for lunch, I went to a parilla and ate chicken and salad. The fruit is amazing here so that also can keep me going an entire day. Plus, I’ll buy some matzah tomorrow. But I already know how I’m going to break Passover and it’s not with pizza, pasta, or empanadas. Waffles with dulce de leche. Oh yes.
OK another tablespoon of sugar. This should help. I don’t have internet my house and I’m not going to buy it. I’m just going to go to cafes or internet cafes when I can. Its not that bad. I’m writing this at my house now, so I can just copy and paste it later and not waste all day in the café. Yeah, good idea. I know.
I was thinking of traveling next weekend, but I’m going to put it off until May. Next Monday, I’m going to Colonia, Uruguay with the program. So I wouldn’t exactly have as much time as I could in Ushuaia and Patagonia. The next couple weekends, the padres are here. Awesome. So I think in May, I’ll go down south. It will be colder, but I’m from Chicago.
Hmm, well April 2 was pretty depressing around here. First, it was a “holiday” for the War in the Las Malvinas (Also known as the Faulklands in the UK). It was a day of remembrance for those soldiers who gave their life. It was a short-lived war against the UK to recapture several small islands off the shore of Argentina in the Atlantic Coast. The islands are largely uninhibited. Really, it was a vain attempt by the government to boost nationalism and take minds off of other activities. Which brings me to my next point as to why April 2 was depressing. Former President Raul Alfonsin passed away March 31 and April 2 was a day of mourning. Alfonsin brought democracy to Argentina after many years of a ruthless dictatorship. Those other “activities” can also be known as the Dirty War. From 1976-1983, the military dictatorship captured and killed anyone who was thought to be against the government. Many of “Los Desperacidos” (The Disappeared) were students. It is estimated that 30,000 Argentines were lost during the Dirty War. After all of this, it was Alfonsin who ushered in a new era of liberty for the country. He was the first democratically elected president and had prosecuted former leaders. Lastly, the national Argentine soccer team lost to Bolivia 6-1 the night before in World Cup qualifying. Still, they will make the tournament.
On a lighter note, I saw many colorful bears in Plaza San Martin this weekend. It was part of a worldwide program to promote cultural diversity and peace. The exhibit has been in Tokyo, India, and other areas as well. But not the United States or other Western countries. Every country had a bear. It was pretty cool to see the dedication some countries put into their work. Others like Mongolia were just plain ugly.
I just left the house to go to a café to upload stuff. On the way there I stopped in the plaza and while I was there I ran into my cousin Giselle, her mom Sarita, and their two friends who I have met before. How cool is that! They don’t even live in Belgrano. Its great having family here while abroad. Anyways now I am at new place called Big Mammas. Anyways, they had a few seders here the other night. I had talked to the owner previously because I was curious. He is Jewish and has been the states several times. Needless to say, I have a found a very nice place with hot corned beef sandwiches, hummus, other comfort food. They even have matzah soup available right now. However, I went with the borscht. It’s pretty hot here.
:)
USA
Israel
Ireland and Iraq
